I agree. I have seen the same thing with boxes since Ice Age. All rares are theoretically PRINTED in the same number, but I think some of them are held back in the early distribution, to encourage more pack hunting.

In the later releases, the previously withheld rares are included, so the person opening the pack thinks they've found an easter egg of goodies, which also encourages more pack ripping.

I haven't really noticed the distribution out of whack until Mirrodin, where I didn't even get some uncommons in a box. My theory is that starting with Mirrodin, perhaps they went to a new distribution scheme that skews it a little. I don't know if it's on the scale as the original Legends distribution, but since I don't go to any other Magic forums, I don't know if it's been raised elsewhere.

Buying packs is such a raw deal, anyway. I say, there's a way to have everything else all the people you envy have, while keeping them from having the fun stuff. Just steal. If you steal all their cards, then you have the top decks for free and they have to buy new stuff. But, you'll just be waiting to steal whatever good they open up. I hope they enjoy their Brown Ouphe deck! Because, um...wait...

Stealing is wrong, isn't it? Well, in that case, just kill them. Then take their cards. It isn't stealing since the dead no longer have claim to posessions.

No, Spidey, it's been for longer than Mirrodin. Onslaught was terrible too. So was Odyssey. Oh, and Inavasion. Since Hasbro, in other words.

However, I think it also depends on how you're buying the packs.

Many sets have a "pack order" that you can sometimes find online. There's actually a semi-complicated convention, (And I'm serious about this), for figuring out which rare is in which pack. You have to open a few packs, but then you can guess what's in the other packs before you even open them. This allows everybody from card stores to people who sell packs online to make sure you never pull any money rares from the unopened packs they sell you. They horde the packs with good rares in them and make a killing on singles. It's hard to do, and not everybody does it, either for ethical reason or because it takes a lot of effort, but it happens.

I think if you're good at it, you can even anticipate what's in each box. So even if you buy cards by the box, you might be getting a less-than-average group of boxes. If you bouhgt boxes by the case, then you're probably going to see an even distribution. Otherwise, the forces of capitalism are probably working against you.

Hey im a little late in this post... but i picked up a few chrome moxes and im wondering where all my other rares are... I play casually only so i really have no need for 4 chrome moxes...other than to rub it in to other players who want 4....